Hello hello hello! (Please read to the tune of the iconic ‘alright, alright, alright!’ ((I love u Mr. Mcconaughey)). I made a post the other week asking workaholics to consider taking it easy every now and then, while hinting that I am the opposite of a workaholic and was probably a sloth in my previous life. However, even Sloth People like me have to work sometimes in order to make money, live their lives, and generally not be total nuisances to society. So, today, I made a list of tips on how to be productive even when you would rather do a multitude of unsavory things instead, like eating a live scorpion. Please pardon my aggressive language, but I hope it kicks those of you who need it in the proverbial butt.
**DISCLAIMER: Most of my techniques are probably considered too unorthodox or inefficient, but this list is for people who have major trouble being productive and are trying to get things done. My motto is that some work is better than no work at all.**
PRE PRODUCTIVITY
OKAY FIRST OFF I KNOW HOW YOU SLACKERS AVOID WORK BECAUSE I’M ALSO A SLACKER SO – Do all of this section on a day where you DON’T need to be productive. Don’t spend 2 hours doing extra stuff when you have 12 AM deadlines that same day, you goose.
Battle Stations
Wherever you feel is a good place to work, make sure that area is fully equipped. If you’re trying to study, get charger outlets, pencils, pens, and papers, snacks, water, motivational posters… If you want to exercise, have all your gear, workout clothes, and gadgets in a pre-packed bag. Keep it all in one area so that you don’t have to gather supplies the (rare) times you’re motivated to get some work done.
Plan of Attack
Tell your friends and family that you plan to be productive about xyz for a certain time and date. That way, they won’t interrupt you and if you are tempted to chat up your friend out of pure procrastination, they’ll ignore you.
GETTING STARTED
Big Push
The hardest part of doing your work is STARTING the work… I find the most effective way to start is to tell myself I’ll only study or be productive for 5 minutes. Most of the time by the end of the 5 minutes my mind is in the right space and I’ll just keep going but if not… that’s still 5 minutes used for good.
Link Up
Have a classmate or coworker with a similar project? Make a promise that you’ll call each other with a certain amount of information memorized or ready to present. I don’t know about y’all, but when other people are depending on me for something I’m 100% more likely to care and get the job done.
IN THE ZONE
You Do You
You like art? Make your notes the most beautiful masterpiece of color. Chocolate lover? Give yourself a mini candy every time you complete a certain portion of your work. (Put your Halloween candy from tomorrow to good use.) Maybe you’re on a health grind! Study as you walk around, go through your flashcards as you go through reps. Make a rap out of the points for your work presentation!
Become the Master
I know I have true mastery of a subject when I can simplify it and teach it. This is a really effective technique because a lot of times you’ve studied information that you THINK you know but when you try to pass it on to someone else it reveals the gaps in your knowledge.
Know When to Quit
Studying for hours? Don’t do it. It’s proven to be way unproductive when compared to 20 minute bursts of studying. Honestly, sitting down with the sole purpose of ‘studying’ is extremely intimidating to me, and I’ve never been able to do it. Start studying way before the exam, so that way when you’re studying and get bored or tired, you can just stop for the day instead of making yourself miserable.
POST STUDYING
GOOD JOB!! Go take a nap or watch your favorite show now that you’ve manned up and finished your work.
– Sumra !(•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑
